It's no secret that the horror genre is in a bit of a renaissance right now. With Blumhouse Productions bringing a ton of creative and original new movies to the silver screen, most of the tired old franchises have been laid to rest. But the Saw property has recently returned with eighth film Jigsaw, which served as both a sequel and prequel to the original film. While it wasn't a critical success, Jigsaw ended up making a whopping $102.9 million on a $10 million budget this past October. And now it appears that a Saw 9 movie may be coming next on the docket.
A new report by Bloody Disgusting indicates that Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate are moving forward with a ninth Saw film. While not officially confirmed by either studio, it would make a great deal of sense for Jigsaw to serve as a catalyst for more episodes. Directors Michael and Peter Spierig are reportedly not returning to helm the next film. Although the mass of money accrued by the last film certainly makes it seem like a wise investment, and the film's ending left room for future movies.
While not an official announcement, Saw 9's inception will excite the hardcore fans who have been watching since James Wan's original 2004 film. The first film brought the "torture porn" genre to the mainstream, and new Saw movies were released every October in the early to mid 2000s. Jigsaw certainly seemed to ease up on the gore, especially when compared to films3-5. That choice, as well as the 7 year break since Saw 3D, seemed to have paid off-- and allowed Jigsaw to make its impressive box office sum.
Narratively, Jigsaw seemed to set up the potential for future sequels. At the end of the film, Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore) was revealed as Jigsaw's original apprentice, pre-dating franchise favorite characters like Amanda, Detective Hoffman, and Doctor Lawrence Gordon. The film's big twist revealed that the big "game" was actually set ten years earlier, and that it was one of Jigsaw's very first tests. Now we just have to see if Logan ends up crossing over with some of the characters who should theoretically be alive in the modern timeline.
For instance, Saw 3D saw Cary Elwes reprise his role from the original film, but he wasn't mentioned throughout the runtime of Jigsaw. Lawrence Gordon was revealed as Jigsaw's secret apprentice in the film's final moments, a twist that was basically repeated in Jigsaw. If Saw 9 ends up getting an official green light, perhaps they'll be able to bring back Elwes to play alongside Matt Pasmore's new character. We'll just have to wait and see.
Jigsaw is currently available on demand, if you didn't manage to catch the most recent Saw film when it arrived this past October. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to see what big horror movies are on their way.
